All along, York- Poquoson Commonwealth's Attorney Eileen Addison said she was being made a scapegoat by the Virginia State Bar, and on Monday a three-judge Circuit Court panel declared there was no evidence to support misconduct charges leveled against her.

Addison and Newport News attorney Cathy Krinick were accused of coaching William Jones in the capital murder trial of Daryl Atkins and withholding information from Atkins' defense attorney. Atkins and Jones were co-defendants in the 1996 robbery and murder of Langley Air Force airman Erick Nesbitt.

Her hearing was scheduled for three days, but it took only a few hours for a three-judge Circuit Court panel to dismiss all charges against Addison.

Judges Richard D. Taylor Jr., Jean Harrison Clements and Joseph E. Spruill Jr. found no support for the charges. The only exception was a charge that Addison knowingly used perjured testimony in Atkins' case — it was withdrawn by the bar's lead attorney Mary Ann Beckett.

"The Court seriously considered the record and testimony today … we find there is no evidence that this respondent (Addison) coached, manipulated or prompted untruthful testimony, said Taylor, who served as chief judge on the panel.

Earlier in the day, the court heard testimony from Addison and attorneys Leslie Smith, George M. Rogers III and Timothy Clancy. Smith, who represented Jones along with Clancy, made the allegations against Addison. Rogers, who was Atkins' attorney, brought the complaint before the state bar.

Krinick did not work for Addison's office at the time of the trial, but assisted in the capital murder proceedings. She is scheduled for a similar hearing in August.

Rogers filed the complaint against Addison and Krinick in 2008 based on Smith's allegation the two attorneys coached Jones during an unrecorded portion of a jailhouse interview. Further, the complaint stated that information regarding drawings and a demonstration made during the interview were not disclosed to Rogers.

But Smith's testimony was marred by inconsistencies, including whether he knew what Jones would say in the interview prior to it taking place and whether Jones' version of events was truthful in court proceedings against Atkins.

Rogers testified that he was aware of the existence of the tape and drawings but he never asked for them because he trusted the accuracy of a transcript readily available in Addison's case file.

Addison contended diagrams and role playing only served to make Jones' testimony "clearer" because limited intellect hindered his relating of events.

Once Beckett finished presenting her case, Addison's attorney, Rodney G. Leffler didn't mince words in declaring the bar had failed to make its case.